Packaged semiconductor devices may comprise electric conductors between connecting pads on the semiconductor element and pins on the outer surface of the package. For example, bonding wires may be used as such electric conductors. Among a multitude of fabricated semiconductor devices, some devices may exhibit deficient electric conductors, for example incomplete wire-bonding. Incomplete bonding may lead to an increased electrical resistance of the wire or even to complete disconnection. Incomplete wire-bonding in individual semiconductor devices may be detected directly during the bonding process: if the bonding apparatus detects a deficient bond, i.e. the wire is not attached solidly with both ends, the apparatus stops. Since the devices may not be singulated at this point of the fabrication process and may be, for example, be to a strip, it may not be economically efficient to remove the whole strip from further fabrication. Known means of sorting out the defective unit include manual removal of already bonded wires from this unit in order to make it electrically failing in the final test, which necessitates human interference and thus is costly and error prone.
For these and other reasons there is a need for improvement.